As a leader, your mood has a rather massive impact on not only the success of the run, but also how enjoyable that run is. The tone in which you speak and the atmosphere you present will determine whether your raids are fun or feel like work. Misery loves company, they say. Well if that's the case then happiness creates company.

Balance. The ability to manage your real life and your virtual life I find is one of the biggest factors. Like it or not, people have a hard time escaping...

Today, my computer is out of commission from a virus that I "fixed" yesterday. Suffice to say, I'm welcoming the day off, but I'm anxious. It's times like these you really get to see how good of leader you are. People always say that:

a [raid] is only as strong as it's weakest link

...to which I like to add...

a [raid] is weak if it cannot function without it's strongest link

Will we function as strong as when I'm there? Unlikely....

...was leading 10s.

It's unbelievable the massive advantage that you gain by seeing the content before you have to explain it to your 25 man raid. While it's true that sometimes the 25 man's abilities aren't quite handled in the same manor as the 10s, that still doesn't change that having seen the abilities first hand gives you a totally different level of information that neither videos nor the written word can possibly transfer.

Refining Your Core

...

...and yet, you still can't help, but wonder what would have happened had you made a different call.

We've had quite the journey so far in the expansion clashing with attendance issues like many others once everyone had farmed the content numerous times. This in particular has affected our Sartharion25 progress.

We've downed him with 2 drakes up numerous times now, but only a few times would I consider these kills especially pretty. It's getting closer every time though...

...and it's not because I think it's unrealistic. I think it's a fantastic achievement and frankly, it deserves to be in the Ulduar equivalent of Heroic: Glory of the Raider.

That being said, I really hope it's not. I never really knew where as a casual guild that does a lot of raiding that we drew the line. Then we went after Immortal and I saw us cross that line.

The spirit of the achievement just does not align with the spirit of our casual atmosphere. I expect maximum...